Guardian Angel
by Steff ODonnell
Summary: The Final showdown with Ultamecia is finally over, but what will become of our heroes now? Unfortunately in this world things are not always as they appear to be, and all things come at a price…


Guardian Angel

Summary: This story picks up right at the end of the game.

The Final showdown with Ultamecia is finally over, but what will become of our heroes now? Unfortunately in this world things are not always as they appear to be, and all things come at a price

Disclaimer: As much as I would like to I do not own the final fantasy characters or places used in my story they were created and owned by Square soft/ Enix.

Chapter 1: A New Beginning or is it Really the End?

The long hard battle with Ultamecia has finally come to an end, and it would seem that SeeD won the Sorceress War. This night much celebration was at hand at Gardens around the world but particularly at the now drifting Balamb Garden.

Everyone was having a great time when our team of hero's attention was drawn to the balcony off the quad.

"The evening is so perfect. The night sky beautiful, all alight in the star glow and full moons light. Right Squall?" Rinoa Heartilly asked pointing to a shooting star overhead with a smile.

Squall Leonhart turned from the sky to Rinoa and let a small smile come to his face before pulling Rinoa into a warm embrace sealed with an earth shattering kiss.

"The nights beauty, can not rival yours, my sorceress." Squall whispered against her lips.

A loud cheer went up behind the couple causing them to turn to the doorway. There stood their friends and many others who were celebrating the SeeDs victory.

"It's about time!" exclaimed the forever excitable Zell Dincht.

"Woohoo! Way to go Squall!" Selphie Tilmitt the ever hyper girl cheered jumping up and down. Irvine Kinnas stopped the bouncing girl by hugging her from behind, and Quistis Trepe just clapped for the couple and shook her head at the other two still very excited friends.

Late that evening, long after the festivities had slowed to a stop, Rinoa was still awake, unable to sleep. She rolled over and sat up in her bed in the single dormitory room she'd been given while she was here. She sat in the dark thinking hard. A movement at the end of the bed caught her attention; she looked toward the foot of the bed. Her partner and pet dog Angelo had jumped up on the end of the bed and got comfortable for the night.

"So what will happen now, huh Angelo?" she asked scratching behind Angelo's ears. Rinoa ran a hand through her long dark hair and threw the blanket back. She got up and put her cloths on and left the room, closing the door behind her.

Rinoa quietly made her way to the training hall. She quickly and quietly made her way through to the secret area, without encountering and monsters.

Rinoa looked around to see if anyone else was around, but she was alone this time of night. She headed out to the railing and watched the water all around the Garden for a while.

"I wonder what will happen nowâ After everything that has happened I still feel like an outsider here even though everyone is so friendlyâ After we land in Balamb I should leaveâI can't stay here at Gardenâ I just don'tâ Belong" She said into the night.

Rinoa stayed the rest of the night, just thinking, until the sun rose. The sunlight reflected off the Garden windows, the Garden was beginning to come to life behind her.

"I should go before anyone sees me, it would just be too hard otherwiseâ for all of us"

She said finally deciding, as she turned to the Training Hall door, the sunlight caught her necklace, making a flash of light in front of her.

"Oh that reminds meâ her anniversary is coming up soon tooâ it's been 18 years next weekâ. Since my mother died the day I was born"She said playing with the rings on her necklace. Rinoa shook her head and hurried through the training hall encountering only three grats, which she quickly defeated and ran off to the dormitory. At the door she glanced back over her shoulder to make sure no one had seen her, no one had.

In the main corridor very few people were moving around, it was still early, but she knew Squall would be up somewhere. Rinoa headed to her room in the dorms, Angelo was fast a sleep right where she had left him on the end of the bed. She was getting her things ready to go for the minute they landed in Balamb. She didn't really have many things, just her usual blue outfit her ballroom dress and her weapon, and of course Angelo.

Shortly after she'd finished packing, there was a knock on the door. Rinoa looked up and moved to answer it but as her hand closed around the latch, she stopped herself because she didn't want to face anyone before she left.

"Rinoa? Squall wants to see you." Called a voice, but Rinoa kept quiet and instead of answering the door, leaned against it as if she weren't there. The knock came again.

"Rinoa? Are you there?" Came the voice again sounding much like Selphie. A moment later and envelope slipped under the door and footsteps could be heard walking away.

Rinoa sank to the floor and began to cry. In all of her thinking that morning, Rinoa had come to one decision. She was going to leave as soon as they landed. Squall was the SeeD Commander, she'd only be a distraction if she stayed, and she wasn't a part of Garden either so she didn't really belong here anyway. Rinoa was upset with her decision and was determined to see it through. It would be better for everyone that way. She slowly cried herself to sleep there on the dormitory floor against the locked door.

Rinoa came to a short time later to hear a couple of voices talking right outside her door.

outside the door

"Quistis, I'm not sure how to tell Squall about this." Selphie said upset and playing with the hem of her uniform jacket. Quistis rolled her eyes.

"Selphie, she can't have gone too far, we haven't landed yet and we are surrounded by ocean on all sides. So Rinoa's still got to be in Garden somewhere. She may just have found a quiet spot out on one of the balconies somewhere."

"I've searched for her all morning, inside and out and still haven't found her. If I tell Squall I can't find her, I'll wear that gunblade of his, I just know it!" Selphie wailed.

"Squall may be insensitive sometimes but he wouldn't do that, I'm sure she'll go to him when she's ready, she probably just needs time to let everything sink in."

"Maybe your right Quisty, I did put a letter under her door from him so when she gets she'll know he's looking for her." They walked off to go explain to Squall that Rinoa wasn't to be found.

back in Rinoa's room

Hearing Selphie say that the envelope on the floor beside her was actually from Squall, made Rinoa want to cry again. She reached for the envelope. Her name was written across the front in Squalls hand writing. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks again at the thought of leaving him without a word. She opened the letter and began to read.

_Rinoa, _

_I'd like you to go to the SeeD dance with me this evening,_

_I would also like you to meet me at my dorm for dinner at 1830._

_I have a surprise for you._

_-Squall_

The letter made Rinoa cry harder, but not so violently as the first time. The PA system crackled to life over head.

"Attention everyone, this is the Headmaster, Commander Leonhart has a very important announcement to make."

"Attention everyone, as a fair amount of you already know, My SeeD squad arrived back to Garden after a victory over Sorceress Ultimecia yesterday evening. This afternoon at 1500 there will be an award ceremony in the Quad. All must attend. Tonight in the ballroom will be a SeeD dance beginning at 2030. Final bit of news at the moment in that we will be landing in Balamb tomorrow morning. If Rinoa Heartilly would please come to the Headmasters office right away. That is all." The PA system died out and Rinoa broke down and cried even harder then this morning, because it was a direct summons, she had to go to the Headmasters office. Rinoa tried to calm down, it was her own fault she was crying, it was her decision to leave, and the problem was if she saw him now would she be able to? Or would she stay if he asked her to?

Rinoa stood up and wiped her tearstained face with the back of her hand. She knew she looked awful, but she'd deal with that later. She put Squalls letter on the table beside the bed and brushed her hair. She made her way to the elevator careful to look at the floor and hide her face behind her hair. She got in the elevator and pushed the third floor button going up.

The doors opened far to soon, she stepped out to the elevator onto the third floor. Irvine stood there waiting.

"Hey Rinoa, Squall and the Headmaster want us to meet them up in the control center." He said cheerfully.

"Hi." She greeted trying to sound cheerful. Irvine knew something was up.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked concerned for his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just a lot of stuff on my mind. Didn't sleep to well." She said.

"I know what you mean. Now that its all over I wonder what will happen with us. I mean, me personally I can't go back to Galbadia Garden, but I don't belong to this one either. I suppose I could always go work for your father." Irvine said.

"Your planning to leave Balamb Garden then?" Rinoa asked.

"Yeah I guess so."

"Can you keep a secret?"

"Yeah sure, what's up?"

"I'm leaving soon as we land, I don't want the others to know, it would be to hard. I think I'm gonna go home for my mothers anniversary." She said.

"Oh, I see, Maybe I'll go with you then. Ask your father if he has a job opening for me."

"Yeah okay. We should probably go up and see why we were summoned." Irvine nodded and they got on the lift to take them up to the control center.

Author's Comment- Okay that's it for chapter one. All reviews, questions and suggestions are welcome. Till next time this is Ri signing off.


End file.
